GPS Cellphone Mobile Navigation Networks

You can subscribe to a GPS navigation service through Nextel. Nextel offers two of them: Televigation's TeleNav and Motorola's ViaMoto. Using the GPS and Nextel's cellphone network, TeleNav and ViaMoto send driving directions--complete with street names and mileage reports--directly to your Nextel phone. The most impressive part is the services' rerouting capabilities. If you miss a street or make a wrong turn, TeleNav and ViaMoto automatically detect that you're off the route and calculate a new route to put you back on track.

TeleNav and ViaMoto also offer location-based services. Think of them as yellow pages with driving directions: Just choose the category you're looking for (such as hotels, restaurants, or movie theaters), and the service does the rest. It determines your location and downloads onto your phone search results that include business listings typically within 5 to 10 meters of your location. Once you make your choice, you can get driving directions.

Bear in mind that in areas without Nextel network coverage, the GPS navigation tools work. The GPS functionality is currently dependent on a network signal; analog roaming won't do the trick. TeleNav and ViaMoto use servers that work with Nextel's network to transfer information.

The second way to get driving directions is to buy a mobile GPS software program, but you need to have a compatible cell phone. The programs and maps are on a memory card and there is no need to pay a monthly fee and since the maps are in the phone you are not dependent on a GPRS connection.